Paris [France] June 5 (ANI): Scores of protests were held in Paris on Saturday against the human rights abuse committed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Several Asian and African countries come together for the first time under a banner called Africa and Asia Assembly (AAA), a collation of 14 countries against the Chinese repression.
Protesters asked the western countries to focus on the CCP’s rights abuses and demanded a boycott of Olympics 2022 in Beijing.
The dissidents from Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Balochistan were also participated and raised slogans against China’s occupation and exploitation of their land and resources.
The protest kicked off with observing a minute of silence to express solidarity with the victims of CCP’s abuse, and the collaborators of China’s imperialism in the West.
There were posters titled “Boycott Olympics 2022 in China” and “China get out of Balochistan.”
The gathering presented dissident artistic expressions, including a theatrical show using hand-made puppets, in which China’s violence was illustrated through the use of a “Red Dragon” puppet.
An Uyghur dissident and a protester said, “Today, African and Asian countries have gathered together against Chinese imperialism. China is a big economy and we all should stand against its imperialistic policies. We should fight together”.
“The West should boycott Chinese products and put sanctions on China,” he added.
A Tibetan student and activist said, “Tibet is under Chinese occupation and we are fighting against the Chinese government…the CCP.”
“We are asking the Western countries, who themselves call as guardian of human rights, democracy and freedom, should show their attitude. They should show that all these rights are much important than the economy,” said a dissident from Hong Kong.
Taha Siddiqui, a Pakistani journalist now living in exile in Paris said, “We have gathered here today for the first time, the African and Asian nations together to protest against the CCP, its imperialist designs and its partnership with the West.”
“Myself, I come from Pakistan, particularly refugee here, and in Pakistan we are seeing that China is colonising parts of Pakistan, China is colonising Balochistan in the name of economic interest, in the name of economic development, but its not actually economic development, those are debt traps that China is setting,” Siddiqui added.
“You see China has done that in Africa and other parts of Asia and of course with those debt traps also comes human rights abuses. The collusion with the elites, to oppress and suppress the poor people, so we want to send a message to CCP and to all of its partners to get out of those countries, to get out of Pakistan and to get out of Balochistan. We want the West to remember its commitments to human rights because the West is know for those things and not to be blackmailed by Chinese economic interests”, said Taha, who is also the editor-in-chief of South Asia Press.
Meanwhile, French African activist Joel said, “Africans started to be upset of Chinese so-called investment in Africa, which is a kind of occupation. China is signing treaties with our heads of states and penetrating the African markets. The people are not aware of it.”
Fabienne Engo, another French activist and organiser of Africa and Asia Assembly, said that this collaboration started last year when a march began against CCP in Hong Kong. “This is an opportunity to make this partnership official and have stronger ties between Africa and Asia,” she added.
This protest marks the beginning of many such political gatherings that the AAA will organise on a regular basis in Paris and across the European Union – to remind France, the West and the global community at large to deliver on its commitments of human rights and not to be blackmailed by China’s economic development. (ANI)
